Independent: in the West, they believe that Ukraine will not be able to successfully advance without tanks Kiev will not be able to launch a counteroffensive and retake significant territories controlled by the Russian Federation without increasing combat power, including tanks and other heavy equipment, writes the British newspaper Independent, citing Western officials.
The representative of the UK said that NATO, due to insufficient support for Ukraine, literally found itself in the dock, and that this situation needs to be corrected.
The Independent newspaper quoted Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the UK House of Commons Defense Committee, who called on ministers to do "much more" to support Kiev.
- he declared.
Ellwood also welcomed the possibility of sending British armored vehicles to Ukraine.
"This is our war, but we left Ukrainians to fight. This shows how far we have come in our willingness to watch [Russian President Vladimir] Look Putin in the eye and not be afraid of his rhetoric, and we are finally sending this much-needed serious armament to Ukraine," he said in an interview with BBC Radio 4.
An unnamed Western official in an interview with the Independent called Ukraine's request for the supply of 300 tanks for the offensive "unreasonable." However, he did not specify how many tanks Kiev actually needs, more or less. Nevertheless, the official agreed with the need to supply armored vehicles to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"One of the elements that Ukrainians lack in terms of capabilities are main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers (APCs) in sufficient numbers to support offensive maneuver operations," he said.
The article also says that a number of unnamed officials admit that the parties to the conflict in Ukraine are now in "too close contact", and this, they believe, prevents Kiev from organizing a successful offensive.
"Ukrainians will not be able to retake significant territories without changes in their military position compared to last year. The balance of power between Russians and Ukrainians is too finely balanced," the article says.
The warnings of Western officials were made against the background of the supply of French wheeled AMX-10RC tanks to Ukraine and the readiness of the UK to transfer the Challenger 2s main battle tank to Kiev.
Will there be Western armored vehicles
On January 10, it became known that the Pentagon is considering the possibility of transferring Stryker armored combat vehicles to Ukraine, they can enter into a new aid package, it is planned to announce it at the end of next week. Washington believes that these armored vehicles will help Ukraine repel the expected Russian offensive in the spring, Politico newspaper writes, citing sources. The final decision on deliveries, according to sources, has not yet been made. Also last week, the United States announced the transfer of M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to Kiev, we can talk about 50 products.
At the same time, Kiev will receive German Marder infantry fighting vehicles, the number of vehicles under the contract is unknown. Politico clarifies that if Western countries begin to supply Kiev with their own modern armored vehicles, this will open supplies for such vehicles as the American M1 Abrams and the German Leopard.
On January 9, Downing Street reported that the final decision on the supply of Challenger tanks has not yet been made, the issue is being processed.
"For several months we have been working with partners to provide tanks and armored vehicles, artillery and air defense equipment. Prime Minister (UK Rishi Sunak. - approx. "Newspaper.Ru») I spoke with President Zelensky only last week about what can help Ukraine develop military success," the representative of the British prime minister said.
On January 7, it became known that Poland would not supply Ukraine with its own German Leopard II tanks. However, they noted that they exclude such deliveries "without a broad coalition." That is, if other NATO countries join Poland, the transfer of vehicles is possible. Earlier, The Wall Street Journal, citing representatives of Warsaw, reported that they are considering the possibility of transferring the Leopard II to Kiev.
NATO nevertheless expresses concerns about the reaction of Moscow, which, as they suggest, will regard the supply of armored vehicles as a further escalation of the conflict. Back in April 2022, the Russian Federation sent a note to the alliance countries because of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that military cargo from Western countries for Ukraine is a legitimate target for Russia. The Kremlin stated that arms supplies do not contribute to the development of peace negotiations.Mikhail Rodionov